Why should e-bikes be forced into danger?

Can you please write a counter point to explain why bikes and e-bikes should be allowed and the reasons why?

Florida legislators have extensively reviewed this matter and have already put in place laws dictating this matter.

Florida has one of the largest number of auto hit and run rates of bicycle/e-bikes death rates in the country. What is Florida’s e-bike killing pedestrian rate?

LBK has an older population of drivers whose skills may not be up to peak awareness. Just sit one day and watch the number of older drivers who must fly right through the flashing hawk signs never even seeing them or knowing their purpose.

Look at how narrow the bike lane is on the side of GMD and tell me that drivers may not wander just a few inches into it and kill a bicyclist or e-bike rider.

How many deaths have been caused by the countless e-bikes and bicyclists who have traveled thousands of miles on Longboat Key's wide, safe sidewalks?

Would you trade a 0% incident rate of a collision of a bicycle or e-bike where a walker may suffer bruising or maybe a broken limb with a 4000-pound auto hitting a person on a bicycle or e-bike?

Have you ever paid attention to the number of black marks left on the John Ringling Bridge concrete barriers where autos have crossed over the marked bike lane and crashed into the barriers?

LBK has spent great efforts to protect pedestrians crossing GMD with hawk crossings but is willing to force bicycles and e-bike drivers into continuous exposure to death riding on that very same road?

Keep it simple: Require a 10 mph speed limit for any bikes on sidewalks or paint a line on sidewalks dividing part for walking and part for all types of biking. Let’s come up with solutions that actually save lives and allow everyone to enjoy beautiful LBK.

–Michael Laurie, Longboat Key